This invention relates to a method of improving the flavor-retaining capacity of a center-filled chewing gum.
A chewing gum containing a liquid or a semi-solid such as a sugar solution, a jam, a jelly and the like as a center fill of the chewing gum has been described in for example the U.S. Pat. No. 810,210. The patent discloses that the wall of the center cavity is coated with a moisture barrier such as butter in order to prevent moisture from penetrating into a gum composition.
Further, the U.S. Pat. No. 3,894,154 discloses a method of retaining a perception of liquidity of the liquid center fill by adding a moisture retention agent such as glycerol to the liquid center fill to retard increase of the viscosity of the liquid fill.
However, it has never been known and experienced to prevent the flavored liquid fill from penetrating into the gum composition by using an additive especially an emulsifier.
On the other hand, it is well-known that natural and synthetic emulsifiers such as sucrose-(higher) fatty acid ester, glycerol-(higher) fatty acid ester, propylene glycol-(higher) fatty acid ester, sorbitan-(higher) fatty acid ester and the like are used for emulsification of food or used in the chewing gum base. However, it has never been known that such emulsifiers are used in the flavored liquid center fill for the purpose of preventing the flavored liquid fill from penetrating thereby to enhance a flavor-retaining capacity of the center-filled chewing gum.